Informal and Formal Groups

For background in this scenario, I would be instructing a Peace-Building and post-Conflict Reconstruction class.

Informal Group Activity

The informal group activity would focus on learning cells. I would instruct the class on a project for approximately one-third the allotted time. I would then discuss a case study that would be applicable to current events, as well as choose a topic that would be recognized by most of the students. I would briefly discuss the case study and provide individuals with a short article to read. Before the class reads the articles, I would provide them with two to three questions to think about while reading. Once they are finished, I would have them work with their neighbors to answer the question, prior to opening the entire class up to a group discussion about the topic.

Formal Group Activity

The formal project’s design will attempt to merge three concepts: discovery learning, guided design, and simulation. Mid-way through the course, students will be divided, using the first letter of the student’s names, into groups of four for a simulation on humanitarian intervention. Each person will be provided a role for the simulation: state A, state B, displaced/minority population, and intergovernmental organization (read: U.N.). The instructor will provide a different scenario every class period, in which individuals must resolve a particular situation or justify actions taken, in using international humanitarian law cases studied during the first half of the course. Students will write and submit their resolutions and justifications at the beginning of class time, and discuss, in their groups, for a brief period in class, what they would have done and why.

Collaboration

I was able to incorporate this week’s readings into the development of my group activity, for my teaching demonstration, by taking what I have already drawn up and writing it out, long-hand, in the ‘informal group activity’ section. There is two ways in which this type of group activity could be properly evaluated. I could either assign two questions for the groups, stating that each person has to work on one of the questions, or I could increase the difficulty of the questions, forcing individuals to work in tandem. Moreover, to ‘force’ collaboration, ensuring that either one individual does not take over the project or other individuals refuse to participate, I kept the groups small, as well as opened the possibility for designating roles, thought the ‘formal activity’ needs role designation to succeed. Providing roles and responsibilities in the formal game allowed each person to understand what they are supposed to do, but the individual grades are not reliant on the other student’s willingness to participate, allaying any fears. Designating the informal group in having two members will provide a better opportunity to answer questions, for if two people are provided two questions they are more then likely going to designate a question per person.

Week 4: Technology in the Classroom

There are numerous pros and cons when attempting to integrate technology into a classroom setting. On the one hand, technology can be used to better facilitate an inquiry-based learning environment, it can be directed to enhance classroom learning, and it can be utilized to encompass all learning styles. Moreover, in an increasingly technologically engaged society its integration into the classroom was inevitable. On the other hand, technology can hinder the learning environment for it allows students to focus on a topic’s outline, and not provide them with the time to properly synthesize a topic. Technology is also costly and ever-evolving, making training for faculty and students necessary to fully comprehend how and in what way the advancements function. Furthermore, technology tends to fail at the most inopportune times, causing instructors to lose valuable time struggle with the machines rather then providing information to the class.

I believe that it is important for instructors using technology as a teaching component to refrain from relying on it too much. It seems that if it takes two hours to prepare technology for every one hour of in-class teaching (or 4 for that matter) that the instructors seem to be focusing a lot of time of making the content visually appealing, rather then informative and useful to the audience. I am not saying that preparation for class is not time-consuming, but, from personal experience, some individuals tend to focus more on presentation then content

The most useful tidbit of information I retained from Davis’ work “Tools for Teaching” was the general strategies outlined in Chapter 49, on Slide Shows. The concepts of not only “design[ing] your presentation around your images”, but also “show images while students are arriving” are interesting to me, because it helps in focusing the attention of the students as well as the instructor’s lecture notes. I find that in designing the presentation around the images that it will aid in progressing the lecture toward its logical conclusion, as well as allow for a visual application. I have sat through numerous lectures in which the imagery seems to have been added out of boredom, rather then for relevant content. Furthermore, providing images prior to the lecture beginning may enhance student interest and applicability in correlating the lecture to the images.

The question that arises when reading about technology in the classroom is when does technology no longer aid in the development of classroom information/discussions? Is there a point in which there is too much technology and not enough lecturing, or will this never be the case?